The Toy Cupboard Tornado

Had a great time at our family picnic this past Saturday. Everything went well, except for the gale force winds which made everything an adventure, considering we spent the entire afternoon and evening outdoors. Luckily, the wind was just barely cooler than the temperature so it helped to keep us comfortable but it was so windy, most of us stayed out of the water, which is too bad. But we had fun anyway.

When the first kids arrived, I took them inside to show them the toy cupboard. I told them they could play with whatever was inside. I figured they'd ignore the boxes and focus on things like the Barrel of Monkeys (remember that one? still a favourite for all ages).

Here's how it started - innocently enough:

The next time I went inside (having been called away to do hostess things), it looked like this:

I thought somehow those gale force winds had blown into the living room. Every single puzzle box and board game had been opened and spread out on the floor, and play money, dice, Trivial Pursuit cards, jigsaw puzzle pieces and marbles were strewn everywhere. It was hilarious! How was I to know this is what would happen??? I don't have any kids! Luckily, some of the moms swooped in and cleaned everything up. My cousin Catherine (mom of 2) explained to me that you have to set boundaries. I get it now. But it still makes me laugh when I think of it. :)